Going old school with the Tissot Heritage Visodate

It was all the way back in the golden days of 2014 when I first experienced the Tissot Visodate (you can see that here). I came away favorably impressed from the review, but if memory serves, it felt like the watch was just a touch thicker than I would have preferred. Well, fast-forward to 2019, and we’ve got the Tissot Heritage Visodate addressing that concern.

Then again, the thickness of the watch may not be of a concern for you, and you’ll be perfectly happy with the existing mechanical Visodate. For those looking for something a bit more compact – and with some vintage vibes – that’s where the Tissot Heritage Visodate comes into play. You may have noticed that I referenced the prior model as mechanical, and that’s an important distinction here. This new Visodate has gone quartz – an ETA F06.111 – which certainly helps to slim things down. It also helps the price out, and we’ll touch on that more near the end of the review.

So, what keeps the new Tissot Heritage Visodate thematically in line with the models that came before? Well, you’ve got the same hand style, as well as the angled (less so here) indices on the dial. And, of course, you’ve got the date complication. Some may miss the day complication the mechanical has, but for me, it’s not a big deal. Overall, the look of this new Visodate is definitely “old school”. When I opened up the box to show the loaner to my wife, she remarked that it looked like something one of our grandfathers could have worn. Which means, to my way of thinking, the design team succeeded with what they were planning here.

In fact, that’s even why I went with this gold-tone variant of the Tissot Heritage Visodate. I’m normally not much of one for yellow gold, but this variant really underscores the vintage feeling, especially once you throw the black dial (and color-matched date wheel, yes!) and brown leather strap into the mix. Combine that with the already vintage-feel Tissot logo and Visodate script, as well as the classic style for the Arabic numerals, you’ve got an older-feeling watch. The raised (though, angled, not curved) crystal reinforces that feeling, as does the hammered (that’s what I’m calling it) look that the gold PVD on the case gives things.

One of my favorite details on the Tissot Heritage Visodate turned out to be something rather small – the lugs. Here, you’ve got a visual delineation (though I still presume a single piece case) from the case to the lugs, and that allowed for some extra angling that really reinforces a sort of twisted lug look. It’s surprising how something on a watch will strike you, but that is really one that grabbed me. If I had to hand out a second place award, it would be how the angled edge of the sapphire crystal radiates the light it catches, sort of like a piece of fiber optic. Not noticeable in a bright room, but if you get somewhere dimmer where there’s an external light source (say, coming in from outside a conference room) it’s a fun thing to notice.

So, yeah, I rather liked my time with the Tissot Heritage Visodate. You might decry it’s quartz-carrying status, but to that I say “so what”. Here, it gets the job done, it allows for the case to be slimmed down and re-profiled, and also drops the price down to just $375 (as opposed to $650 for the automatic). And, if you don’t like the style we reviewed here, there are other color variants, with some of them coming in at an even lower $300. So, you know, even greater savings. So, unless you find yourself as a mechanical-only sort of a purist, there is a lot to like about this newest Tissot Heritage Visodate. us.tissotshop.com

Review Summary

Brand & Model: Diefendorff Corenelius 1776

Price: $899

Who’s it for? You want an independent, small-make watch, but don’t particularly want a diver-style watch

Would I wear it? In general, sure. But in light of what I own, it’s not one that would be heavily in the rotation

What I’d change:Play with alternating case finishes, and see about slimming things down

The best thing about it: It’s an interesting bezel approach, and definitely sets off the lovely dial

Tech Specs from Tissot

Reference: T118.410.36.057.00

Origin: Swiss made

Warranty: 2 Years of Warranty

Collection: Heritage

Gender: GENT

Case shape: ROUND

Water resistance: Water-resistant up to a pressure of 3 bar (30 m / 100 ft)

Writer on, and amateur collector of, watches of all types. Along with my writings here, you can find additional watch-related thoughts from me over on aBlogtoWatch.
If you're on Twitter and/or Instagram, you'll find me there as @PatrickWatches.

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